Neodymium Magnet-Guided Removal of Metallic Soft Tissue Foreign Bodies in the Emergency Department

Efficacy and Safety of Neodymium Magnet-Guided Removal of Metallic Foreign Bodies in Soft Tissue in the Emergency Department

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a strong magnet (neodymium magnet) can help doctors remove metal objects stuck under the skin in adults. It will also learn about the safety of this method. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• How often can doctors remove the metal object with the help of the magnet?
• How long does the procedure take?
• How often do doctors need to make a cut in the skin, and how long is the cut?
• What problems do participants have within 15 days after the procedure?
• How satisfied are participants with the procedure?

Participants will:

• Have an X-ray to find the metal object
• Have the metal object removed with the help of the magnet in the emergency department, with or without numbing medicine (local anesthetic)
• Come back for a wound check 15 days after the procedure

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Foreign Bodies; Wounds, Penetrating; Soft Tissue Foreign Body
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Neodymium magnet-guided foreign body removal

Detailed Description

This prospective, single-center, single-arm study is conducted in the Emergency Department of Bursa Uludag University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. Before the procedure, the location of the foreign body and its distance from the skin surface are measured on X-ray, and the entry site is photographed. Before sterile preparation, the magnetic property of the foreign body is confirmed with the neodymium magnet. After sterile preparation, the foreign body is localized with a sterile-draped neodymium magnet. Local anesthesia is applied if needed. The foreign body is removed through the existing wound or, if there is none, through a skin incision. The site is photographed again after removal. Prophylactic antibiotics are given for contaminated wounds. Participants are re-evaluated at suture removal or 15 days after the procedure.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 75
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ziya Uzun, MD; Phone Number: +90 538 737 96 52; Email: ziyauzun@uludag.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Bursa
    • Bursa, Bursa, Turkey (Türkiye), 16059
      • Recruiting
      • Bursa Uludag University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Emergency Department
      • Contact: Ziya Uzun, MD; Phone Number: +90 538 737 96 52; Email: ziyauzun@uludag.edu.tr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Metallic foreign body in the soft tissue detected on plain radiography
• Foreign body located less than 2 cm from the skin surface
• Foreign body with magnetic properties that interacts with the magnet
• Signed written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age under 18 years
• Foreign body located close to structures such as blood vessels, nerves or joint spaces
• Deep location requiring surgical removal
• Inability to cooperate
• Bleeding or coagulation disorder
• Refusal to sign informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Neodymium Magnet-Guided Removal; Adults with a magnetic metallic foreign body in the soft tissue. The foreign body is removed with the help of a neodymium magnet in the emergency department, with or without local anesthesia.	Procedure: Neodymium magnet-guided foreign body removal; After sterile preparation, the foreign body is localized and pulled toward the skin surface with a sterile-draped neodymium (NdFeB) magnet, and removed through the existing wound or a skin incision.; Other Names: Rare earth magnet

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Successful removal of the foreign body	Number and percentage of foreign bodies successfully removed with the help of the neodymium magnet.	During the procedure (Day 0)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Complete removal per participant	Number and percentage of participants in whom all foreign bodies were successfully removed.	During the procedure (Day 0)
Procedure time	Duration of the foreign body removal procedure, in minutes.	During the procedure (Day 0)
Need for additional incision and its length	Number and percentage of participants who need a new or additional skin incision, and the length of the incision in millimeters, if required.	During the procedure (Day 0)
Volume of local anesthetic	Volume of local anesthetic used during the procedure, in milliliters, in participants who receive local anesthesia.	During the procedure (Day 0)
Complications	Number and percentage of participants with complications (such as wound infection or bleeding) within 15 days after the procedure.	15 days after the procedure
Patient satisfaction	Participant satisfaction with the procedure on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not satisfied at all, 5 = very satisfied). Higher scores mean greater satisfaction.	Immediately after the procedure (Day 0)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Uludag University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ziya Uzun, MD, Uludag University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Shvediuk VV, Elin NE, Dzidzava II, Fufayev EE, Barinov OV. Clinical application of neodymium magnetic instruments for the removal of foreign bodies in blind wounds. Russian Military Medical Academy Reports. 2023;42(2):105-114. doi: 10.17816/rmmar346674.
• Sarihan A, Can C. Soft tissue foreign body removal with magnet in ED settings. Am J Emerg Med. 2014 Aug;32(8):952.e3-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2014.02.009. Epub 2014 Feb 17. No abstract available.
• Radia R, Suffern R, Pepper T, Fan K. A blacksmith's tale: use of a rare earth magnet to facilitate safe removal of a metallic fragment from the face. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2020 Dec;58(10):e317-e319. doi: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2020.07.029. Epub 2020 Jul 26.
• Lukish JT, Williams K, Shah A, Mon R, Lukish JR. The Novel Use of Rare Earth Magnets for the Extraction of Metallic Soft Tissue Foreign Bodies in Children. Surg Innov. 2023 Oct;30(5):571-575. doi: 10.1177/15533506231158209. Epub 2023 Mar 14.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 9, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 5, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 5, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 3, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): November 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 3, 2026
• Last Verified: November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Emergency department; Neodymium magnet; NdFeB magnet; Rare earth magnet; Metallic foreign body; Foreign body removal
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Emergencies; Foreign Bodies; Wounds, Penetrating
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-21/14

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared because the informed consent form and ethics approval do not cover sharing of individual-level data with third parties. Aggregated results will be published.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No